Best and worst electric cars 2018

Electric cars are growing in popularity. No wonder: the best are quiet, cheap to run and smooth to drive. But which are the bright sparks to consider – and which are the loose connections?...

15 March 2018

Best and worst electric cars 2018

Electric cars are becoming more mainstream by the day and this trend is only going to accelerate as rules are introduced to limit the kind of vehicles allowed into major cities.

The main thing holding electric cars back remains range anxiety – the fear that you won't have enough juice to get to where you’re going. This is because electric cars can typically cover only about 150 miles between charges and it takes much longer to charge than it does to fill a petrol tank. However, this is slowly becoming less of an issue.

There are already luxury electric cars that can cover more than twice that average distance on a single charge. And even if you can't stretch to one of those, an electric car can still make sense because they're cheap to run and are ideal for short journeys, such as the school run, trips to the shops or a brief commute.

So, which electric cars should you consider? Here, we count down our favourites and tell you which ones to avoid.

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10. Volkswagen e-Up

The regular Up is one of our favourite city cars, and this electric version is just as practical and good to drive. It feels almost entirely uncompromised by its conversion to electric power.

10. Volkswagen e-Up

The only major downside with the e-Up is that it costs twice as much as a petrol model. There are larger electric vehicles that are cheaper to buy and capable of taking you farther between charges.

9. Toyota Mirai

The Mirai is a hydrogen-fuelled car, meaning that you'll need to fill it up with hydrogen at specially designed filling stations, of which there are currently very few. It's powered by a single 152bhp electric motor and can travel for up to 400 miles between refills.

9. Toyota Mirai

We found the Mira quiet and well controlled but, with a list price of around £66,000, it's a very expensive choice. With limited volumes coming to the UK, it's likely to be a very rare sight.

8. Kia Soul EV

The Soul is Kia's first attempt at an electric car and it's actually better to drive than the petrol model. For starters, it feels more eager, thanks to the instant torque from its electric motor. What's more, it's a quiet and relaxing cruiser.

8. Kia Soul EV

However, it's not all good news. The Soul EV is pricey to buy and its interior feels rather cheap. It does come well equipped, though, and you'll have the peace of mind of an industry-leading seven-year manufacturer's warranty.

6. Hyundai Ioniq

The Ioniq is really three cars in one – it's available as a conventional hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric car. The EV version here has a range of 174 miles and enough torque to make acceleration feel brisk around town.

6. Hyundai Ioniq

The interior is nice, too, and our recommended Premium models get sat-nav and heated front seats as standard. However, the electric Ioniq isn't as easy to recommend because the hybrid because it's pricier to buy and has an unsettled ride around town.

5. Volkswagen e-Golf

Unlike purpose-built electric cars such as the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf, the e-Golf is based on a conventional hatchback. However, this is no bad thing, because it means it has all the good points of the regular Golf, along with greatly reduced running costs.

5. Volkswagen e-Golf

All in all, the e-Golf is one of the best electric cars on sale, thanks to its competitive range, decent equipment and its impressive space and driving dynamics.

4. BMW i3

A smart interior and great handling make the i3 one of the most appealing electric cars on sale today, while its groundbreaking use of super-light carbonfibre and aluminium offset the weight of the battery pack that’s mounted beneath its floor.

4. BMW i3

In addition to the fully electric model, BMW offers a Range Extender version with a two-cylinder petrol engine that can generate extra power for the car's batteries.

1. Nissan Leaf

But the best electric car you can buy today is the second-generation Nissan Leaf. True, it will cost you a bit more than the Zoe and has a slightly smaller range, but it’s much better to drive, more spacious inside and considerably safer.

1. Nissan Leaf

The Leaf also comes generously equipped as standard in mid-rung N-Connecta trim, and you can charge it from empty to 80% in as little as 40 minutes.

The electric vehicles to avoid

The Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has two big limitations: its small range and the fact that it has only two seats. For those reasons, it will only ever be a second or third car for most people. Plus, it's really only viable in urban areas where the owner has somewhere to charge it overnight.

The electric vehicles to avoid

In certain circumstances, the Twizy can be quite good fun – but those circumstances are so rare in the UK that this car is hard to recommend. A firm ride and poor weatherproofing make it an occasional car at best.